Crusade for Freedom, Radio Free Europe Fund, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Liberty

February 28, 2012

Renewed Call for RFE Broadcasts to Hungary

On
February 27, 2012, the Washington Post publshed an opinion editorial (op ed) by
Mark Palmer, Miklos Haraszti and Charles Gati entitle "Support democracy
in Hungary with new Radio Free Europe broadcasts."

Mark
Palmer was the U.S. ambassador to Hungary from 1986 to 1990. Miklos Haraszti, a
Hungarian author, was the representative on freedom of the media for the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe from 2004 to 2010. Charles
Gati is a professorial lecturer in Russian & Eurasian studies at Johns
Hopkins University’s Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.

According
to them, "There are seious reasons for bringing back RFE's Hungarian
broadcasts, which ended in 1993."

The first is the current demise of
Hungarian media freedom, both the root and the finest fruit of all other
liberties.

Second, one of the lessons of Europe’s last century is that broadcast
monopolies by nationalist governments lead to international tensions and
conflicts. Indeed, Orban’s anti-democratic measures could encourage politicians
in nearby Slovakia and Romania to imitate his combination of anti-foreign
sentiments and denial of free debate on public airwaves.

Third, given the similarities in recent Russian and Hungarian attacks on
the United States, Hungary may well be the first ideological outpost of Putin’s
constitutional dictatorship. Supporting the European Union’s repeated warnings
about Hungary’s democracy deficit, Washington should take steps to counter
emerging authoritarianism in Central Europe before it becomes a trend.

When it seemed that pluralistic
democracy and a free market had taken root in Hungary, Radio Free Europe
appeared to have fulfilled its mission. Now those values are officially
deposed, and a legal system has been built to prevent their comeback even after
the next elections. Restoring the Hungarian service could be a crucial step in
promoting fair and decent values in Hungary, and in protecting democratic
achievements elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe.

2 comments:

"......A new Hungarian channel, by making full use of gifted editors and reporters in Hungary, should become a hub for quality journalism, a provider of inclusive debates and fair information, inviting to all and detached from all. By cultivating rational and civilized debates, it should be a wellspring for democracy and good journalism. It should not revive the confrontational spirit of the early years of the Cold War, nor should it even turn into an opposition channel broadcasting only “bad news” that gets omitted by the official and semi-official media....."

it is nonsense.

It's only about the name, the fame and the nostalgia. (but good to hear and read it!)

The whole article is false and absurd, written by men who have definitive political agendas and other interests (research their names). As a US liberal, I have little in common with the Hungarian left who are still reeling after a 2/3 majority election outcome for the center right.

As far as the premise that Hungary is blocking media outlets, CNN confirmed that all Turner channels are unavailable on T-Home due to "commercial concerns." CNN is available on the other cable providers. Criticism should be based on fact lest it lose credibility. Hungary does not need Fox (Faux) News - it had 50 years of it.